


The Forgotten One

by TheRealBurgerKing



Category: Stray Kids
Genre: A day in the life of Han Jisung, Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Bittersweet, Gang AU, Jisung has complete retrograde amnesia, Jisung sees people he knows but doesn't remember, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-26 00:11:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17131328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRealBurgerKing/pseuds/TheRealBurgerKing
Summary: Jisung, a young man with retrograde amnesia, goes through a normal day.However, this day is far from normal.





	The Forgotten One

_Gunshots echoed behind him. Wires curled around his hands as he tugged on them, setting a final bomb. A body brushed against his back as a voice shouted. Stomach twisting. Head spinning. The world revolved too fast as he wheeled around. Candy pink and fairy floss blue hair curled over empty, glassy eyes as a red body collapsed on the floor. He screamed as he stepped over the body, screamed as he heard the beeping, screamed as the rumbling deadened his voice. A necklace that wasn’t his hung from his hand, dragon pendant shining in the nearby fire as the cold silver burned into his skin. Jets of flames arced past his eyes as the ground shook and the sky fell in. He screamed again, mouth filling with dirt and senses flooding with pain. All he could see was the cold dusk as everything crashed and the Earth seemed to stop. A bit of sky, a bit of ceiling rushed down, ending everything as the world turned black._

*****

Jisung blinked up at the low ceiling of his apartment, gaze hazy as he prepared to force himself out of bed. Nightmares had been plaguing his sleep recently - strange nightmares that made no sense. Buildings on fire, people dying… He didn’t get it. But there was no time to dwell on it now; his alarm clock was blinking 8:30 am at him and he was late.

The young man dragged himself out of bed, eyes heavy and tired. He stumbled around his small apartment, simultaneously brushing his teeth, pulling out his work uniform, and checking his phone for texts or emails. Having finished his first morning routine and tripped over multiple books, he began his second morning routine: staring into his mirror and repeating to himself. _‘You are Han Jisung. You are 22 years old and a single pringle. You are a florist and have three friends. Apparently you are from Incheon, according to the letter. You are okay. You will be okay. Now go to work.’_

Jisung dragged himself to the makeshift kitchen against the wall in the hopes of finding something edible. He unfortunately had been unable to go grocery shopping recently, needing all of his meager income for bills and rent. Jaemin got an earful about Jisung’s predicament a week ago when the pair went walking in the park during their work breaks. Of course, the sweetheart had offered to buy Jisung groceries, but Jisung couldn’t do that to him. Jaemin was already buying food for two, he needn’t use any more money on people like Jisung.

All Jisung found was a few slices of bread, a single potato, and an ambiguous lump of something brown. The russet-haired boy allowed himself one small sigh before rocking back on his heels, judgmentally scrutinizing his rice cooker with lips pursed. Running through the pros and cons of just skipping breakfast, Jisung rose slowly and stumbled toward the door. No point in staying - staring at the innocent rice cooker wouldn’t make food magically appear.

Jisung shoved his feet into his shoes and yanked a fuzzy jacket on with unnecessary violence. His stomach grumbled insistently, but he shushed it. Now is not the time for organs to be demanding. Jeez. Slinging his lanyard with keys around his neck, a grumpy Jisung bumped his way out the door. Only to stop as his eyes landed on three brown paper bags.

He blinked a few times, and rubbed his eyes for good measure. Yep, those bags really were there. And they really were filled with good food. Bread, milk, potatoes, and other staples, from what Jisung could see. Jisung opened and closed his mouth a few times, unsure of how to react. Were these bags for him? Maybe someone went to the wrong door? It couldn’t be possible…

Something small and white caught his attention and he crouched to see it. Jisung tugged a paper bent in half out from where it was pressed between a box of noodles and a rice packet. Inside was a short note, written in neat Korean characters.

_Hello Mr. Han,_  
_A kind stranger has been here and given you a gift._  
_Please accept these groceries and take care of yourself._  
_Signed,_

In place of a name was a crudely-drawn, slanted smiley face. Jisung blinked a few times before looking up. A kind stranger giving him a gift, huh? That was new. He glanced down the hallway to the right. Nothing. Down the hallway to the left…

Half of a face was peeking around the edge, looking straight at Jisung. Big brown eyes. Curly dark brown hair fell in clumps around a high forehead. As Jisung made eye contact with the stranger, the other’s eyes widened and the head disappeared behind the wall. “Wait! Don’t go!” Jisung lunged forward, leaping over the groceries and charging down the hall after the stranger.

When he arrived at the turn where the man had been, the hall was empty. The stranger had disappeared. Jisung hesitated a moment before slinking back to his apartment to bring in the groceries.

Lugging the heavy bags in, he placed them next to his kitchen and mini fridge and began to unpack them. Whoever this stranger was, they certainly knew what staples were needed for survival. Canned fish, flour, vegetables, fruit. Jisung gasped as he pulled out a certain item from the bottom of the fruit and vegetables bag. Cheesecake?? His favorite! This person now had Jisung’s eternal love and support.

A buzzing in his back pocket brought him back to the present. Checking his phone, it was his alarm to get to the store and open for the day. It was his store, after all…

Jisung grunted and staggered up. With one last glance toward his now-fully-stocked kitchen and cheesecake, Jisung exited his apartment and locked the door.

As he trudged down the stairs, into the lobby, and out the door, he saw no sign of the stranger. Jisung shrugged it off in disappointment and headed off to work.

*****

The sidewalks were sleepy and quiet as Jisung walked. Mid morning traffic was light, as store owners prepared to open shop and a few students and businessmen ran past, equally late for school and work. Jisung watched it all pass as he ambled to his precious Heaven’s Blooms store. He was in no rush, his customers wouldn’t start coming in for awhile.

As his gaze cleared the opposite street and began its pass over the street he was on, Jisung spotted an old woman hobbling about, boxes causing her already-bent spine to bend further. Granny Seo! Jisung picked up his pace, hurrying to join her. “Granny!” As Granny Seo turned to greet her favorite unofficially-adopted grandson, some of the boxes began to fall. They were readily caught by Jisung, hooking them out of the air. Jisung followed Granny’s lead in carrying the boxes, chattering as he did about the stranger and the gift.

“Jisung, did you see the stranger? Maybe it is a secret admirer.” Granny nudged Jisung teasingly. Jisung shuddered, then considered that idea.

“You think so, Granny? I couldn’t really see his face, just his eyes and hair. He seems kind, though.” As Jisung spoke, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted two shapes. Two human shapes. Turning his head to look with both eyes, the shapes became clear.

Two young men stood ten meters away, both looking straight at Jisung. One was leaning against a wall, a tall boy with shaggy, light brown hair and gentle eyes. The other was short and angry looking, black hair slicked back. Unlike his relaxed companion, Shortie stood stiffly in the middle of the sidewalk, glaring straight through Jisung. A low roaring filled Jisung’s ears has his eyes met the pair’s. His confused recognition of them made his brain spin. _When did I ever know them? I don’t understand…_

Granny’s voice calling him caused him to turn his head, away from the strange men. When he looked back, seconds later, the sidewalk was empty. 

Jisung blinked a few times, confused. Had he dreamt them up? Where could they have disappeared to? Shaking his head, Jisung turned away, pushing the questions to the back of his mind. He threw himself into helping Granny, hoping these strange events were all just a dream.

As the russet-haired man continued his walk ten minutes later, he felt an itch in the back of his brain, daring him to turn around. He had hoped to resist, but found himself turning anyway. Behind him, walking down the opposite street away from him, were two figures.

One, a tall man with shaggy, light brown hair. The other, short with black hair slicked back.

*****

Silence hung over Heaven’s Blooms as Jisung meandered through the maze of shelves and containers full of fresh flower stems. Few customers had wandered in over the three hours that the store had been open, mainly curious souls wondering about the (arguably) new shop. Thus Jisung spent his time trimming dead leaves and old flowers, occasionally adding new ones if the supply was getting low.

As Jisung shuffled behind a table of long-stem roses and potted orchids, the bell above the door chimed. “Hello! Welcome!” Jisung hurried back to the check-out counter, depositing his pruning shears in an open drawer. The customers were three young men, appearing around Jisung’s age, who returned his greeting. The two tall boys of the group moved away and began to stroll through the aisles, the leggy one’s arm wrapped around the cute one’s waist. The third boy paused as he made eye contact with Jisung, eyebrows knitting.

Jisung bit his lip as the feeling of confused recognition from earlier returned. _Do I know you? If only I could remember…_ The man looked faintly sorrowful before nodding a little and stepping away to survey the flowers. Jisung felt a little sick to his stomach and he pinched himself. _Why do I feel so lonely when I see you? I don’t even know you… What’s wrong with me?_

Quiet footsteps on the other side of the counter caught Jisung’s attention, and he looked up to see the young couple. Oddly, they also looked a little wistful, the cute one inconspicuously looking Jisung up and down. The leggy one grinned and cheerfully greeted Jisung while handing him a bouquet Jisung had made just that morning: an anemone, peony, sweet pea and astilbe wedding bouquet. Jisung carefully bagged the bouquet after giving Leggy his $5 in change, before handing that over as well. Leggy thanked him before immediately and rather dramatically presenting Cute with the bouquet. Jisung couldn’t help smiling watching the happy couple exit, although he also couldn’t help the jealousy either.

A quiet sigh brought Jisung’s gaze back to the counter. Before him stood the man from earlier and Jisung felt the stomach sickness again. Now that he was closer, Jisung could see his face better. The man was handsome, with prominent cheekbones and soft eyes that held a quiet sadness. Jisung tried to cough away the lump in his throat and robotically accepted the flowers the man had chosen. “Did you find everything you wanted, sir?” The man nodded, sharing a half smile with Jisung, as the florist turned away to tie the flowers together in a bouquet. As he worked, he processed which flowers they were.

_Pink carnation - I’ll never forget you_  
_Striped carnation - wish I could be with you_  
_Myrtle - love_  
_Primrose - I can’t live without you_  
_Tea rose - I’ll remember always_  
_Marigold - pain and grief_

These were quite the interesting choices. They must have been chosen intentionally, to create a message. Jisung, having loved flowers for as long as he could remember, knew the meanings of all of the flowers he sold. This particular arrangement of flowers could be interpreted as _“I miss you and I wish I could be with you, but despite that you have forgotten me, I still love you more than anything. As long as you’re alive, I’ll love you.”_

Jisung turned back to the man and handed him his bouquet. “I… I hope you enjoy your flowers. Thank you for visiting…”

The man nodded and started to step back, before hesitating. “You… do you understand the flowers? The message…?” Jisung hesitated as well, but dipped his head. The man relaxed a little, then hummed and thanked Jisung before hurrying out. 

Jisung sighed deeply and planted his face into the counter, groaning. This was all too much.

*****

Heaven’s Blooms had been quiet since the trio had left an hour ago. Jisung sat behind the counter, counting the money in the till and idly waiting for customers. He doodled on his special doodle paper as he reflected on the day. So many strangers, triggering such strange feelings. It hurt his brain, and Jisung didn’t want to think about it.

Jisung’s eyes wandered about the store, taking in the peony blooms and with it, life on the streets outside. The cafe across the street, The Roasted Bean or something like that, was busy with customers.

Jisung found himself searching the streets, looking for other ‘strangers’. It was entirely possible that he had known these people once - it would explain how they acted and how he felt. All he knew from his life was that he woke up in a hospital, horribly injured and with no memories at all. Everything he knew about himself he had learned from a letter given to him by the nurses. So maybe old friends were checking up on him?

A feeling of being watched pulled Jisung from his thoughts. Outside, a man sitting outside the cafe stood out to Jisung, if only because he was drinking a milkshake in November. While gazing steadily at Jisung. The man was handsome and built, with a strong jaw and kind eyes. His purplish-blue hair curled over his head, waving slightly in the breeze. Jisung felt his heart hammer. _Another one._

Blue Man’s eyes met Jisung’s and a shiver ran down the brunette’s back. Blue Man gave him a small smile and nod - _I know you_ \- and Jisung forced himself to breathe calmly - _I wish I knew why_ \- and returned the gesture.

Jisung dropped his head and stared at the counter, stared at the flowers and animals inlaid in the wood. He ran a thin hand through his russet hair, gathering his bearings. When he looked up, Blue Man was gone.

Jisung jerked his head around in a panic. _How did you disappear so fast?_ Jisung watched as Blue Man walked away down the street, without a care in the world, before turning a corner and vanishing from view.

*****

The breeze outside blew through Jisung’s hair as he walked. Behind him, Heaven’s Blooms was locked up for the night. At 4 in the afternoon, Jisung was headed for A La Mode, an ice cream shop owned by his little friend’s mother. The boy worked there as manager, and Jisung often stopped by to see him.

On this particular day, Jisung walked in to find two people behind the counter - people he distinctly remembered did NOT work there - and red curls peeking over the marble edge. “Renjun? Jaemin? What are you two doing here?” The couple looked up from their whispered conversation, Jaemin holding an M&M an inch from his lips.

Renjun grinned and waved, “We came to see our favorite baby. You too?” Jisung shook his head and indicated the ice cream. The owner of the red curls popped up, revealing a face with thin cheeks and a cheerful smile. Renjun immediately grabbed his face and squished his cheeks. Jaemin led Jisung over to the ice cream freezer, as Renjun’s chants of “Sanha Sanha, cute cute” faded into the background.

“Ji, which ice cream do you want? Sanha showed me how to scoop it.” Jisung hummed and scrutinized his options. Ice cream was very important business, and Jisung took it seriously. The chocolate-chip coffee stood out to him and he chose that, watching as Jaemin (messily) scooped the ice cream into a waffle cone. Renjun and Sanha wandered over to join them, Sanha working the till as Jisung paid, ice cream cone in hand. 

“Y’all wouldn’t believe what happened today.” Jisung leaned on the counter, three pairs of eyes jumping to him immediately. “Remember how I was having those weird nightmares? Well, I had another one last night. It was different this time, though. Someone died and everything was on fire. It was scary; it felt like… it really happened. But I don’t know. I wish I could remember.” Jisung frowned and Renjun reached out to squeeze his hand. “But that’s not all. I saw real-life people as well.”

Jaemin raised one eyebrow silently, but Jisung ignored him. “It all started this morning, when I realized I had no food…”

As Jisung recounted the day to his friends, all strange encounters included, he watched their expressions. Renjun and Jaemin had pity in their eyes. They had each other, they were engaged and owned a successful art gallery and shop. Sanha lived with his mother and crushed hard on his coworker. Jisung was alone, no family and only three friends. But Jisung didn’t want their pity - he just wanted his memories.

The bell above the door ringing heralded a new customer and Jisung felt his stomach drop as he saw them. Even though he had no clue who the kid was; but at this point Jisung didn’t question the feelings anymore. The customer was a cute young boy with fox-like eyes and a sharp gaze. He nodded and smiled in response to Sanha’s greeting, revealing braces. His eyes met Jisung’s as he approached the counter. With a soft voice, he ordered vanilla ice cream in a cup.

The boy turned to Jisung again, gaze softening. A now-familiar low roaring filled his ears as he stared back, watching the kid smile at him knowingly. Their staring contest went unnoticed, despite how much Jisung wished the others would see him, save him. _I’m going to go insane._

But Renjun continued to shake Jaemin, squealing unintelligible words. Jaemin continued to glare, jealous over his fiancé’s attention given to the kid. And Sanha continued to scoop the ice cream like he always did. No one noticed Jisung’s struggle as he pushed it aside, sending the boy an attempt at a smile. 

The boy seemed concerned, eyebrows knitting, but he said nothing. He simply accepted his ice cream from Sanha with a word of thanks and paid. As he turned to leave, his eyes traced Jisung’s face. As he brushed past, the boy whispered softly to Jisung. “Take care of yourself, hyung.”

Jisung bid his friends goodbye later and walked home alone. With more questions and no answers, the young man prepared for another night spent on his own.

*****

The air was quiet in the town as dusk fell. The residents were sheltered inside their homes, as was Jisung. However, one person sat alone on a rooftop. A brunette man with sad eyes, an unusual bouquet of flowers at his feet. The rooftop he was on was level with Jisung’s window, where he could be seen, eating alone with a book.

Minho sighed and reflected on their earlier interaction. He knew Jisung would understand the meaning of the flowers, the message. He also knew Jisung would have no idea that the message was for _him_. Alas, Minho’s identity would be a mystery to the little florist - as much as he was dying to tell him everything. But some things must remain unsaid.

Minho let his mind wander as Jisung began preparations for bed. He thought back to previous years, the good years. The years when he’d loved Jisung. That’s not to say he didn’t love Jisung now - those were the years when Jisung knew him and loved him too.

He’d seen Jisung’s reaction to seeing him. _He knows me._ Somewhere in the boy’s mind, Minho still existed. _I can never be with him again._ But here, in this real world, Minho and the others could only watch from afar. _We’ve put you out of reach, love._ Even if Minho missed him more than anything, he had to force himself away. 

In the next building, Jisung tucked himself into bed and turned out the light. Night fell as Minho trudged toward the fire escape, letting himself look back once. _Our time in this life is over, baby. Will you wait for me next time?_


End file.
